


Doki Doki: My Literature Romance

by Valeria_Does_Stuff



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel), My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Doki Doki Literature Club! Spoilers, Inspired by Doki Doki Literature Club!, Knives, Multi, Murder-Suicide, Psychological Horror, Sell your soul for a cupcake today!, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24621883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valeria_Does_Stuff/pseuds/Valeria_Does_Stuff
Summary: Hi, Gerard here!Welcome to the Literature Club! It's always been a dream of mine to make something special out of the things I love. Now that you're a club member, you can help me make that dream come true in this cute self-insert story!Every chapter is full of chit-chat and fun activities with all of my great club members:Ray, the youthful bundle of sunshine who values happiness the most;Frank, the deceivingly cute guy who packs an assertive punch;Mikey, the timid and mysterious one who finds comfort in the world of books;...And, of course, Gerard, the leader of the club! That's me!I'm super excited for you to make friends with everyone and help the Literature Club become a more intimate place for all my members. But I can tell already that you're a sweetheart-will you promise to spend the most time with me? ❤This story is not suitable for childrenor those who are easily disturbed.
Relationships: Mikey Way/Reader, Ray Toro/Reader, Reader/Frank Iero
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> I came over from Wattpad and decided to share my story here too!
> 
> If you want to read this story on Wattpad, go here:  
> https://www.wattpad.com/story/222978549-doki-doki-my-literature-romance 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have fun writing it. This story is pretty much like other X readers, you get shipped with one of the MCR boys. So, have fun!
> 
> Enjoy!

Hi, Gerard here!  
Welcome to the Literature Club! It's always been a dream of mine to make something special out of the things I love. Now that you're a club member, you can help me make that dream come true in this cute self-insert story!

Every chapter is full of chit-chat and fun activities with all of my great club members:

Ray, the youthful bundle of sunshine who values happiness the most;  
Frank, the deceivingly cute guy who packs an assertive punch;  
Mikey, the timid and mysterious one who finds comfort in the world of books;  
...And, of course, Gerard, the leader of the club! That's me!

I'm super excited for you to make friends with everyone and help the Literature Club become a more intimate place for all my members. But I can tell already that you're a sweetheart-will you promise to spend the most time with me? ❤

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR SUICIDE, DEATH AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Y/N - Your name  
L/N - Your last name  
Y/G - Your gender  
H/C - Hair colour  
H/L - Hair length

¤°♡<3


	2. Part I: Chapter 1

"HEEEEEEEEEEYYYY!"

You turn around to locate the source of the shout, and you find it. It came from an annoying boy running toward you from the distance, waving his arms in the air like he's oblivious to any attention he might draw to himself.

That boy is Ray, your neighbour and good friend since you were children. He is the kind of friend you'd never see yourself making today, but it somehow works just because you've known each other for so long.

You used to walk to school together on days like this, but starting up around high school he would oversleep more and more frequently, and at some point, you were tired of waiting up. But if he's going to chase after you like that, you almost feel better off running away. However, you just sigh and idle in front of the crosswalk and let Ray catch up with me.

He comes to a halt and his brown afro slightly bounces with every breath he takes. He puts both hands on his knees and takes a moment to catch his breath before continuing to talk, while still finding the time to fix his tie.

"I overslept again! But I caught you this time, haha!", he exclaims while looking at you with a bright, shining smile. Truly, he is a ray of sunshine.

You let out a weak chuckle and look at them in a taunting manner. "Maybe, but only because I've decided to stop and wait for you."

A small frown forms on his usually bright face as you take a few more steps into the direction you are supposed to be going. Ray follows you with a new bundle of energy, yet still frowning at your previous statement. "Aw, come on, that sounds like you were trying to ignore me! That's just mean, Y/N!"

You briefly pay a little attention to the students around you and then turn to Ray. In a harsh tone, you say: "Well, if people stare at you for acting weird I don't want people to think we're a couple or some shit. Like, I know you're basically still closeted, but people are just awful, right?"

Ray looks around, slightly startled, and then continues. "Fine, fine. But you did wait for me, you know. I guess you can't really bring it over yourself to be mean to me~"

It was true; seeing Ray without a smile is truly haunting and you could not stand to see him without a smile by his side. Yet, you can't help but roll your eyes at his statement, purely for the fact that he was right. "Whatever you say, Ray..."

This was followed by the sweet sounds of Ray chuckling. You cross the street together and make your way to school. As you draw near, the streets become increasingly speckled with other students making their daily commute.

Ray then turns to you. "By the way, Y/N..." You braced yourself for the worst. The last time Ray said these exact same words, he was about to eat crayon, claiming he could seduce a guy if he bit off in an alluring way. That mistake brought him 2 weeks worth of diarrhea and a ban on using crayons.

Ray shifts his point of balance to the right and shifts on his feet. "Have you decided on a club to join yet?" You release a breath you didn't realize you were holding.

"A club? I told you already, I'm really not interested in joining any clubs." You shook your head as you took another step. "I haven't been looking, either"

The silent taps of Ray's footsteps slowed down for a second, only for them to speed up as Ray jumps into your field of view. "Eh? I call bullshit! You told me you would join a club this year!"

You furrow your eyebrows. "...did I?" It's quite possible that you did in one of your many conversations where you dismissively went along with whatever Ray had to rant about. Ray likes to worry a little too much about you when you are perfectly content just getting by on the average while spending your time with bands and comics.

Still, Ray doesn't seem bothered by that at all. "Uh-huh! I was talking about how I'm worried that you won't learn how to socialize or have any skills before college. Your happiness is really important to me, y'know!" Ray now stood in front of you with his hands in his sides, continuing his rant.

"And I know you're happy now, but I'd die at the thought of you becoming a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) in a few years because you're not used to the real world! You trust me, right?"

"Alright, alright... I'll look at a few clubs if it makes you happy.", you caved in. In the end, Ray would always convince you to do something you didn't want to do.

Somehow, Ray picked up on your lack of enthusiasm. He steps closer, swiping a stand of your H/C hair out of your face, tucking it in behind your ear. "Will you at least promise me you'll try a little? Don't make me keep worrying about you..." His face was touched by concern and his facial expressions were telling you that he was truly caring for you.

You feel the slightest bit of blood entering your cheeks. Slightly embarrassed, you turn your head away. "Yeah, I guess I'll promise you that." Out of joy, Ray jumps up and down. "Yaay~!"

You smirk to yourself. Why do I let myself get lectured by such a carefree boy? More than that, I'm surprised I even let myself relent to him. I guess seeing him worry so much about me makes me want to ease his mind at least a little bit, next to the fact that he is literally a ball of sunshine - even if he does exaggerate everything inside his head. 

You continue our talking until we eventually reach our school. Sadly, you don't share any classes, so you part as Ray waves you goodbye. 

|  
|  
|

Time flies by and the classes end. This day was ordinary like any other and it was over before you could realize it. Without an ounce of motivation, you sit back in your chair and space out. "Clubs..." Ray would be really sad if you weren't going to join a club. You will probably have to settle with the comic club... 

"Hellooooo? Anybody home?", a hand frantically waves in front of your face. You look up and see that Ray is standing in front of you. "Ray...?" He must have come into the classroom while you were spacing out. You look around and realize that you are the only one left in the classroom. Ray takes a chair and sits down in front of me. 

"I thought I'd catch you coming out of the classroom, but I just saw you sitting here and spacing out, so I came in. Honestly, you can be even worse than me sometimes... I'm impressed!". His everlasting smile has reclaimed the spot on his face. You look away. 

"You don't need to wait up for me if it's going to make you late to your own club." Ray blushes timidly. "well, I thought you might need some encouragement, so I thought, you know..." With a confused glance, you meet Ray's eyes. 

Ray swiftly brings his hands to his tie to fix it and continues. "Well, that you could join my club!" You are baffled. "Ray..."

He joyfully perks up. "Yeah?"

"...there is no way I'm going to join your club." His shoulders drop slightly. "Oh, come on, please just give it a try!" Ray is the vice president of the Literature club, although you never were aware that he had any interest in literature. In fact, you are 99% sure that Ray only did it because he thought it would be fun to help start a new club. Considering that Patrick Stump and Joe Trohman started a new club not too long ago, the possibility is very high. Since Ray was the first to show interest after the one who proposed the club, he inherited the title "Vice President". Taking that into consideration, your interest in literature is guaranteed to be even less. 

"Yeah, I'm going to the comic club." 

"C'mon, Y/N, please?", Ray whines. 

You roll your eyes. "Why do you care so much anyway?"

His gaze shifts. "Well... maybe I promised the club yesterday I would bring a new member...?" He lets out an awkward chuckle. 

"Ray, you shouldn't make promises you can't keep!" you exclaim.

"Aw, come on, Frank even made cupcakes and everything!" Ray excitedly says. You can't help but groan. 

"Fine... I'll just stop by for a cupcake and then leave, ok?"

"Fair enough. Let's go then!"

And thus, today marks the day you sold your soul for a cupcake. 

|  
|  
|

You dejectedly follow Ray across the school and upstairs into a section mostly used for activities. You walk down the corridor until Ray eventually stops and opens the door to one of the rooms with a lot of energy, and then proceeds to shout into the room. "everyone! The new member is here-!"

You interrupt him mid-sentence, "I told you, don't call me a new member-" Eh? You glance around the room. 

A boy with deep brown, straight hair approaches you. He seems to be slightly shorter than Ray but still manages to look taller than he actually is. "Welcome to the Literature Club. It's a pleasure meeting you. Ray always says nice things about you." 

A second boy approaches Ray and you. "Huh, so you did manage to bring a new member. Way to kill the atmosphere!" The second boy is a lot shorter than the other people in the room and he has dyed his hair a bright pastel pink. He keeps his bangs up in a cute red ribbon.

A third boy joins in. "Ah, Y/N! What a nice surprise!" His dyed bright red hair falls in long strands around his face, complimenting his face shape in a pretty manner. On the vack of his head, a white ribbon sits in place. You feel like you know him. 

All words escape you. This club... is full of incredibly cute boys!


	3. Part I: Chapter 2

The shortest boy is the first to speak up. He seems to be quite bothered by my eyes fixated on him. He puts his fists into his side and pouts. "If you want to say something, say it, but quit staring, creep!"

"S-Sorry..." You feel embarrassed about being called out.

The boy with straight hair leans in on the shortest member of the club with a tired expression. It seems like he has to put up with that sour attitude a lot. You manage to hear "C'mon, Frank, be nice..."

"Hmpf!" The boy with too much wit for his height is apparently called Frank. His small figure makes you think he's probably a first-year. He's also the one that made to cupcakes, according to Ray.

Speaking of the devil, Ray whispers into your ear: "Don't worry about Frank, you can just ignore him when he gets annoying~". He then turns around to the other boys and chimes in with a: "Haven't you people ever heard of a proper introduction? This is Frank, always full of energy and ready to break everything in the supply closet all day long. And this is Mikey, the smartest in the club!"

Mikey blushes. "D-don't just say that, Ray... that's not even true..."Mikey seems a lot more mature and timid and seemingly has a hard time keeping up with people like Ray and Frank.

"Well, it's nice to meet both of you."

Ray clears his throat, fixes his tie and continues. "And it sounds like you already know Gerard!" Your vision shifts to the boy with the neon-red hair and the white ribbon.

"It's great to see you again, Val." He smiles sweetly. It's true, you do remember attending music class with Gerard before. You rarely talked but you did meet each other before. Gerard was by far the most popular guy in class - smart, handsome, athletic and polite with the voice of an angel. Basically, completely out of your league. So, having him smile at you so genuinely makes you feel a little... You break your train of thought and manage to stutter out "Y-you too, Gerard."

In the corner of your eye, you can see Ray trying to resist the urge of fixing his tie again, yet fails and pulls the knot tighter. "Come on, {0c}, sit down! We made room for you at the table so you can sit down next to Gerard. I'll get the cupcakes!"

Frank steps in his way. "Nuh-uh! I made them, so I think I'll get them!" Ray sits down and ruffles through his hair with one hand. "Sorry, I got carried away..."

Mikey gets up and heads to the storage closet. You notice that it's slightly out of frame. You wonder what happened here... "How about I make some tea as well?"

The boys already assembled a couple of desks to form a long table. As Ray mentioned, it's been widened so that you can have a seat next to Gerard and Sayori without coming too close for comfort. Mikey and Frank walk over to the corner of the room, where Frank grabs a wrapped tray and Mikey skillfully opens the broken closet door. Still feeling awkward, you take the seat. Frank proceeds to march on to the table, tray in hand.

Frank skillfully lifts off the foil to reveal the cutest cupcakes you have ever seen. "Ta-da!" The cupcakes are decorated with little bats and fake spider webs. As you look closer, you can see that the frosting is a beautiful swirl of red and black, creating a gorgeous overall image.

You all stare in awe, admiring the carefully decorated cupcakes. Ray is the first to speak. "... Frank, these look really tasty! I didn't know you were this great at baking!"

"Ehehe! Come on, take one!" Frank proudly says.

Ray is the first to grab a cupcake, then Gerard. You follow.

To no one's surprise, Ray is the first to dig his teeth into his cupcake. His eyes light up and although his mouth is still filled to the brim, he exclaims: "It's delicious! It sure would be a shame if someone stuck his hand in there..." He somehow already managed to get icing all over his face within this one bite. You warningly look over to Ray.

You feel Frank's eyes stuck to you, waiting for you to take a bite. You turn the cupcake around in your fingers, looking for the best angle to take a bite. Finally, you take a bite. The icing tastes like cherries and dark chocolate, while the muffin underneath tasted like vanilla. Your eyes widen. This might be the best muffin you have ever eaten in your life.

After swallowing the piece of the cupcake, you turn to Frank. "These are really good! Thanks, Frank!"

Clearly taken aback from the compliment, Frank stutters: "W-Why are you thanking me? It's not like... I made them for you or anything!" You hold back a chuckle. You've never met anyone who fit more into a Tsundere stereotype than Frank.

You decide not to elaborate on the topic. After all, arguing with a Tsundere is close to impossible. 

Mikey returns to the table, carrying a tea set. He carefully places a teacup in front of each of us before putting down the teapot next to the cupcake tray. You are surprised to see a whole tea set inside a classroom since a certain accident involving hot, boiling water and the laptop of a teacher made sure to ban all liquid containers inside a classroom. "You manage to keep a whole tea set here without being caught by the teachers?"

Mikey lets out a soft chuckle. "Don't worry about it, we have an agreement with the teachers. After all, doesn't a hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?" None of the club members seem to be aware of the fact that you are really not into reading. Hell, unless it's comics you wouldn't even pick up a book! You blush. "Ah... I-I guess..."

Gerard butts in. "Ehehe, don't let yourself get intimidated by my little brother, Mikey is just trying to impress you." You didn't know that Mikey was Gerard's brother. Yet, if you look close enough, they do look very similar to each other.

"T-That's not true!", Mikey exclaims. Insulted, he looks over to Gerard before focusing on you again. "I meant that, y' know..." You put one hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I believe you. Well, tea and reading may not be a pastime for me, but at least I enjoy tea."

Mikey smiles faintly to himself. "I'm glad..." Gerard raises an eyebrow, then smiles at you. "So, what made you consider the Literature Club?" You were afraid of this question. Something tells you that you were basically dragged here by Ray, and the free food is probably not a great motivation too. You manage to come up with an excuse. "Well, I haven't joined any clubs yet, and Ray seemed really happy here, so..."

Gerard smiles sweetly. "That's okay, don't be embarrassed! We'll make sure you feel right at home, okay? As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club appealing and exciting for everyone!"

You are taken aback by that statement. "Gerard, I'm surprised. How come you decided to start your own club? You could probably be part of one of the bigger clubs. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Armstrong let you join their band! Weren't you the lead of a band last year?"

Gerard quickly clears his throat. "Well, to be honest, I can't stand all of the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events...I'd much rather take something I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. And it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!"

"Gerard is a great leader!" Ray states. Mikey nods in agreement.

You look over to Gerard. "Then I'm surprised there aren't more people in the club yet. It must be hard to start a new club." He shrugs. "You could put it that way. Not many people are very interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new...especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. In order to catch people's attention, you need to convince people that literature is fun and worthwhile. But it makes school events, like the festival, that much more important. I'm confident that we can all really grow this club before we graduate! Right, everyone?" Gerard has caught the attention of everyone. Everyone cheers enthusiastically.

Such different guys, all interested in the same goal... Gerard must have worked really hard just to find these three. Maybe that's why they were all so delighted by the idea of a new member joining. Though you still don't really know if you can keep up with their level of enthusiasm about literature.

Mikey turns to me. "So, Y/N, what types of books do you usually read?" Considering how little you have read the past few years, you don't know how to answer that question. "Uh... Manga?", you jokingly mutter out. Frank perks up, looking like he wants to say something, but he stays quiet. Mikey, however, sinks down ever so slightly. "Not much of a reader, huh?" You don't know how to react to Mikey's sad smile. "uh... that could change... what about you?"

Mikey traces the rim of his cup with his ring finger. "Well, let's see... my favourites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The level of creativity and craftsmanship behind them is truly amazing to me. And telling a good story in such a foreign setting is equally impressive." Mikey goes on, clearly passionate about his reading. He seemed quite reserved and timid the moment you walked in, but by the way his eyes light up that he finds his comfort in the company of books, not people. "But, like, I feel like you can't reduce my taste in books to that, I actually read a lot of different genres. Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't it amazing how a writer can so deliberately take advantage of your own lack of imagination to completely throw you for a loop? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately..."

You are completely baffled by how much he talks about his passion, you wouldn't have took him for a type that talks a lot. Desperately, you try to grasp something you can relate to at a minimal level. "Ah, I've read a horror book once...", you stammer out. At this rate, Mikey could be talking to a wall.

Gerard butts in, saving me from the inevitable shame that would com upon me if I admitted that I was not interested into books as much as Mikey was. "Really Mikey? I haven't even seen them in your room yet! I wouldn't have expected that from someone as gentle as my baby brother..."

"... I guess you could say that. But if a story makes you think, or take you to another world, even I can look past the fact that it's labelled as horror. Surreal horror is actually very successful at changing the way you look the the world, if only for a short moment."

You can silently hear Frank mutter: " Ugh, I hate horror like that..."

Mikey looks over to Frank. "Oh? How comes?"

Frank grimaces. "Well, what would a good Stephen King movie be without the blood shed? Horror should just be bloody and..." Frank stops and glances over to you. "Nevermind."

Gerard leans over to you and whispers into your ear: "Don't let that intimidate you, Frank is actually a really sweet guy behind that bitter façade". Frank angrily shouts: "Wha- THAT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO TRUE!"

Ray snickers. "Well, you are the guy that dyed his hair pastel-" Ray was abruptly stopped by a soft slap of the back on his head by Frank. "Shush. I wanted red and it failed."

"Alright but your poems are trying way hard to be edgy~", Gerard adds.

Frank turns red in the blink of an eye. "Th- THESE WEREN'T MADE FOR READING!"

"Frank, you write your own poems?", you ask Frank with genuine interest.

"I guess. More like layouts for songs but whatevs. Why do you care?" Frank shoots back.

"I just think that's cool, that's all. Why don't you share your songs sometime?"

"N-No! I don't think you would like them..." You can see that Frank is clearly uncomfortable in his situation, so you drop the subject.

"I understand how Frank feels. Sharing such a personal level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be open to your audience, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart.", Mikey adds, comforting Frank.

"I believe you've been writing poems too, Mikey? I've been noticing that you stole some of my sketching paper and pencils lately."

Mikey blushes up and quiets down. I guess that even Mikey isn't ready to share his works.

Ray shifts down in his seat. "Aw man, I really wanted to read everyone's poems..."

We all sit in silence for a moment, drinking tea and eating cupcakes, until suddenly Gerard perks up. "Hey, what if everyone would go home and wrote a poem for tomorrow? That way, we can all improve on writing and receive feedback! And it would also strengthen our bo0nds now that we have a new member! Right, Y/N?"

Mikey seems to be taken aback by that idea. That would mean that he would have to share his poems with everyone in the club. Frank also doesn't seem very fond of the idea. Ray however seems to be more than happy with that idea. "Yeah, let's do it!"

You are shook. "I- I never even agreed to join yet! Ray may have dragged me here, but I still haven't decided and..." You lose your train of thought as you meet the sad glances of four boys. All four of them look very disappointed. It seems like they already grew rather attached to you and you couldn't bear to break their hearts. "

"You all..." You are defenceless against them. Next to the fact that they are possibly the most handsome guys you've ever met, they are also so kind-hearted, and if writing poems was all it took to spend time with them, you were willing to pay the price. "Alright, I've decided. I'm gonna join the literature club."

Ray wraps his arms around you, jumping up and down. Frank sends a relieved glance. "If you only came to steal some of my cupcakes, I would have been really pissed."

"That makes it official! As president of the literature club, I hereby make you a member of this fine club, Y/N! I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone remember tonight's assignment: write a poem to bring to the next meeting so we can all share!"

Can you really impress the class star Gerard with your mediocre writing skills? You can already feel the anxiety welling up inside of you. Meanwhile, the boys continue as they clean off the tables.

After cleaning up, Ray jumps by my side. "So, since you're here, do you want to walk home together?" You shrug. "Sure, might as well." With that, the both of you depart from the classroom, wishing the others well. The whole way home, your mind wanders back and forth between the boys. Ray, Mikey, Frank and of course, Gerard... you still can't believe that you're gonna be spending every day after school with them in a literature club. Perhaps you'll even grow closer with one of them? You decide that writing a poem for one of the boys would make a great impression. 

You think deeply before choosing to write one about Frank. His bitter additude covering up for his sweet heart was intriguing and you feel like you can write a rather good poem about him. You put down your pen and start...

-§===§-

Sweetest lemons in the garden 

Covered up by vines of harm

While I'm eating tuna-parm

The hard-ass shell contains your farm

A farm of little cattle-sheep

Where silently in peace you weep

Just open up, don't fall asleep

Just open up your gosh-dang garden

-§===§-

Boom. A masterpiece. Gerard is gonna love this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ye I finally got my shit together and uploaded again, I´m proud of myself.
> 
> Formatting might be trash, but the original is on WattPad.
> 
> Have fun ^-^


	4. Part I: Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Frank is not such a sour bitch

The day in school swims over you and before you know it, you find yourself back in the clubroom. You were the last one to come in, so the others were already hanging out. Gerard looks over to you and approaches with a wide smile. “Hi again, Y/N! Good to see you didn´t run away on us.”

You let out a small smile. “Nah, don´t worry, you´re not gonna get rid of me. This might be a little strange for me, but at least I keep my word.”

Mikey looks up from the seat he´s seated in. “Thanks for coming in”, he says in his soft, calm voice. Instinctively, he smiles. “I hope this isn´t too overwhelming of a commitment to you. Diving headfirst into literature when you´re not accustomed to it…”

Frank butts in. “Oh, come on! Like they deserve any slack! Ray told me you didn´t even want to join any clubs this year before he dragged you here. And the years before too! Do you just plan on hanging out here or what? You better take this seriously or else.”

“You sure talk a lot about taking literature seriously when you spend most of you time with guitars…” Gerard adds to Frank´s statement. Frank blushes up. “G- G—” Frank finds himself stuck between saying “Gerard” and “Guitars”. “Guitars are cool, okay?!” Defeated, Frank slumps back into his seat.

Ray tries to lighten the mood by cheerfully adding “Don´t worry, guys! Y/N always does their best as long as they´re having fun. He helps me with busy work without even asking.” Ray puts out a hand and starts counting. “Like cooking, cleaning my room…”

You send Ray a glare. “Ray, that´s because your room is so messy it´s distracting. Plus, I´m not letting you nowhere near any stove without my supervision after you almost burnt down your house.”

“Erm.. well…” Mikey chuckles. “You two are really good friends, aren´t you? I might be a little jealous…” “Oh, come on, Mikey, you can be friends too! Mikey even brought you something today, you know!”

Mikey turns pale. “Ray, wait-“ Ray walks away and sits down across the room and shoots you a thumbs up. “I don´t understand Ray… he makes it sound like such a big deal…”

You sit down Next to Mikey and put a hand on his shoulder. Hey, Mikey, if it makes you uncomfortable I won´t make a big deal out of it. Hey, I didn´t even expect anything in the first place. I´m gonna be happy either way.” Mikey loos right into your eyes. “R- Really?” You give him a small nod. Mikey turns around and reaches into his bag and pulls out a book and gently hands it to you. “he tries not to look straight into his eyes. “I didn´t want you to feel left out so I picked out a book you might enjoy. It´s a rather short read so it should keep your attention, even if you don´t usually read. And we could like… discuss it…”

You take the book out of his hands. You can´t believe that he´s being accidentally so cute. He even made the effort of picking out a book I might enjoy. “Mikey, thank you! I´ll definitely read this!”

Mikey lets out a breath you didn´t realize he was holding. “Well, you can read it at your own pace. I look forward to hearing what you think.

Now that everyone´s settled in, you expected Gerard to kick off some scheduled activities for the club, but that doesn´t seem to be the case. Ray and Gerard are having a cheery conversation in the corner. Mikey´s face is already buried in a book. You can´t help but notice his intense expression, like he was waiting for this chance. Meanwhile, Frank is rummaging around in the closet. He lets out a quiet groan. You come closer in case he needs a hand, considering his height.

“Are you looking for something in here?” “Fuhkin Gerard… He never puts back my stuff where it belongs! Where´s the point in keeping your collection organized if someone else is just gonna swoop in and mess it up?” HE slides a bunch of stacked books and bokes across the shelf. You take a closer look. “Manga…” Frank turns around and looks at you. “You read manga, right?” You are caught off-guard. “Well, sometimes…”

Manga is one of those things where you can´t admit you´re really into it until you really know where the other person is coming from. “How did you know, anyways?” Frank puts one hand behind his back, pulling down his uniform to straighten the jacket. “I heard you bring it up at some point. Besides, it´s kind of written on your face.” What´s that supposed to mean? There´s a lone volume of manga amidst a stack of various books on the side of one of the shelves. Curiously, you pull it out of the stack. Frank gasps out in relief. “Finally! There it is!” Frank snatches it out of your hand. He then turns to a box of manga and slips the volume right into the middle of the rest. Satisfied with his work, he takes a step back. “Much better! A collection with one piece missing is the most irritating thing ever.”

You get a closer look at the box set he´s admiring. “Parfait Boys…?” It´s a series you´ve never heard of before in your life. That means it´s out of your demographic or it´s just terrible. Frank crosses his arms. “If you want to judge about me, you can do it in the other side of the clubroom door.” You put up your hands defensively “I wasn´t, Frank, calm down! I didn´t even say anything.”

“It was the tone of your voice. But, I´m going to teach you your first lesson in this fine club: don´t judge a book by it´s cover! In fact-” His face glows up again and pulls out the first volume of Parfait Boys from the box. “I´m going to show you why!” He shoves it directly into your hands. You take a peek at the cover. It features four guys in colourful attire striking animated poses. It´s exceedingly “moe”. Frank breaks your train of thought and barks at you. “Don´t just stand there!” He yanks at your arm and pulls you out of the closet. He then takes a seat against the wall beneath the windowsills. He signals next to him for you to sit down next to him.

“Wouldn´t chairs be moe comfortable?”, you ask as you take your seat next to Frank. “Chairs wouldn´t work, we couldn´t read at the same time like that.” “Ah, I guess it´s easier to be close together like this…”, you say, accepting Frank´s decision. You cant help but look deeply into his mesmerizing eyes and… you receive a small slap against your shoulder. “Don´t just say that! You´ll make me feel weird about this!” He skids an inch away from you. He sloppily pushes a strand of his pastel pink hair away from his hazel eyes. “Sorry…” You didn´t expect to sit this close next to Frank, either. Not that you´re complaining though… You open the manga.

It´s only a few seconds before Franks inches closer again, reclaiming the additional space while he hopes I wouldn´t notice. You can feel Frank peering over your shoulder, much more eager to begin with than you. “Wow, it´s been ages since I read the beginning…”, Frank whispers to himself. “really, you don´t go back and flip through the older volumes every now and then?”

Frank puts a hand on his chin and thinks for a short second, directly before answering: “Not really. Maybe when I´ve finished the series and want to reexperience the story. Hey, are you paying attention?”

You perk up. Since nothing interesting has happened in the book yet, you manage to read and talk at the same time. It looks like a bunch of friends in high school. Typical slice-of-life affair, trying to let the reader take part n the story. You´ve grown out of these since it´s rarely for the writing to be entertaining enough to make up for the lack of plot. “So… what should I expect from this? Is there going to be plot?”

Frank must have been offended by that question. “Clearly! Do you think I would enjoy something that has no plot at all? But… I guess I know what you´re saying…” He fixes his posture and looks back into your face. “A lot of the beginning is about simple things. Like, there´s a really funny story where they´re obsessed with a barista working at the ice cream shop… but that just helps you get to know the characters! And, besides, it´s still kind of entertaining. But, later, some drama happens when their backstories get drawn into the present, and a sort of romance between the reader and the character starts to happen… that´s where it gets really good. There are so many touching parts”

Frank really seems to be passionate about defending the book series. You slightly raise an eyebrow. “Ah, is that so? You really seem to know what you´re talking about. Maybe I underestimated you.”

Frank grins. It´s the single sweetest thing you have ever seen, making your heart melt. Seeing Frank drop his sour attitude makes you realize that there is so much more to Frank than just his attitude and simple stories. “As you should!”

You flip forwards through the manga. “Ah, this chapter seems to be about baking. It seems to be a guess, but is there a lot of baking in this manga?” “Well-“ Frank starts, yet hesitates, as if he doesn´t want to admit something. Eventually, he gives up. “Yeah. Does it matter?”

And up goes the attitude again. “It doesn´t, I was just curious, since you seem to like baking too, right?” Frank turns red. “So what?” That must explain why Frank is interested into baking as well. Plus, he´s really good at it, so who are you to judge?

The two of you read on for a few more minutes. At this point, you have finished a couple chapters. You look over you shoulder to Frank. His Hazel eyes scan the page, but as he notices your gaze upon him, he looks up too. “Are you sure this isn’t boring to you?” Frank vigorously shake his head. “It´s not! I´m fine with watching you read…”

“I guess it´s fun to share your interests with other. I always get exited when I can convince any of my friends to pick up a series I enjoy. Do you get where I´m coming from?” Frank looks down to the ground. “…no, not really.. .like I could ever get my friends to read this… they think manga is just for kids.” With a helpless face, he looks up to you. “I can´t even bring it up to them without being all like” he raises his hands up for air quotes. “Eh? You still haven´t grown out of that?” He tucks his hands back under his folded legs. “Makes me wanna smash my guitar right into their face…”

“Urgh, I know those kind of people… honestly, it takes a lot of effort to find friends who don´t judge, much less friends who are also into it…” You shrug. “I´m already kind of a loser, so I guess I gravitated towards the other losers over time.”

Frank´s face melts into a softer expression. “I guess that´s true. I feel like I can´t even keep it in my own room… I don´t know what my dad would do if he found this. At least it´s safe here in the clubroom. Gerard is just a big time jerk about it…” He bumps his head against the wall and looks to the ceiling. “I guess there is no winning for me…”

You send a caring look over to Frank. “But I guess it paid of in the end. I mean, here am I, reading it.” Frank gives a small chuckle. “Wow, way to boost your own ego. Are you gonna keep reading or what?” “Yeah, yeah…”

You flip the page. Suddenly, Frank starts laughing full-heartedly. The gentle sound of his laughter fill your ears and makes you smile. Out of breath, Frank manages to push out: “I totally forgot that happens!” Frank points at a specific panel. “Minoro is my favourite character. You always feel a little bit bad for him since he´s rather unlucky.” Frank continues to ramble about the characters and their relationships to each other. His voice figuratively sparkles with excitement. It´s a relieving contrast to his usual bossy tone. But since He´s not used to sharing his favourite manga with his friends, you can understand why. It´s an amazing sensation when you can connect to a person like that. And being able to give this feeling to Frank, for whom it´s a rare experience is amazing. You smile to yourself.

Out of nowhere, Gerard butts in, breaking the atmosphere that had started building between Frank and you. His jingling voice announces: “Okay, everyone! Are you ready to share your poems?”

Frank stands up form the floor and angrily barks into Gerard´s face. “Come on! Could your timing be any worse?” Oblivious to the broken moment, Gerard smiles softly. “Sorry~! I just need to make sure we have enough time. Although the two of you seem to be rather cosy, ha-ha!” Gerard scurries over to Mikey who is leaning over his book, looking rather absorbed by the story.

“Sorry for that… let´s just stop here.” Frank is blushing furiously. He reaches out for your hand, helping you up off the ground. Once you stood up, you hand the book back to Frank. Looking down to the volume of Parfait Boys, he takes a rather sad look. “Y-You´re just giving it back..? Don´t you want to know what happens?”

Startled by his sudden change in mood, you stutter: “I mean… Gerard just said…” Frank blushes even more. “Just take it home with you.” “Are you sure?” you mostly say that because you didn´t really plan on using your spare time to read that… “Of course! It would take forever if you didn´t take it home! Just read this one at home so we can read the next volume at home, okay? And if you ben over any page, I´ll kill you with my bare hands.” You´ve only gotten halfway through the volume so far. You´re gonna fall behind on some shows if you try and get through it… but if that´s the sacrifice necessary for seeing Frank´s face light up like that, You´re ready to commit to it. You stand up and walk back to where you left your bag and carefully slip the book into your bag. Meanwhile, Gerard walks back to you.

“By the way, did you remember to write a poem last night?” You scratch you neck “Yeah…” It seems like your relaxation ends here. You still can´t believe that you agreed to do something so embarrassing. If you admitted to Gerard that you drew you inspiration from Frank, you would never hear the end of this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I´ve decided to go for a Natsuki/Frank run since I´m planning ahead on some stuff. Hehehe~


End file.
